Sengoku Horizon

Look towards the Horizon

The Warring States Period: Fierce warlords fought for control of Japan, and many would perish. When a warrior falls, where does the passion they once held go? Possibly into something dear such as a favorite weapon or heirloom. These heirlooms have been labeled as “relics”, and those that carry them are labeled as “Scions." Recently more and more of these special relics have been activating, signaling the start of a great change as ancient power meets the modern world!

Awakening had hurt, in many ways. She had been a victim of the earthquake that shook all of Edo, and nearly crushed to death. It was almost a certainty to her that - before she blacked out, caught between two floors of Edo Bugei - one of her friends had attempted to shield her...thus taking the more more lethal crushing force...while she herself had still been battered and beaten with the school on top of her. She had been thrown into a coma and temporarily pronounced dead when pulled out with a number of other corpses.

She remembered nothing but the earthquake and the dreams of Maeda Toshiie's brutal battles, fought with the very weapon that was beside her now. Yes, this Yari was hers, and she was now forever-linked with the Maeda Clan, as her parents had weirdly hoped. Her parents... They were gone now. The earthquake DID claim them. The whole birthmark thing was a longshot, but the clan had honored it, and now she had claimed Scion-hood to a brutal manslayer. This didn't make her unhappy. It actually meant she had something. Imagine what her life would be if this had not taken place, and that she and her brother Kenji were left out in the streets, instead.

It wasn't at all fair, but at least it was something.

It had to be, because Makoto was otherwise devastated. Her parents had died and she was alive, Kenji needed to be taken care of, her mind had been plagued with war and disaster, and her entire body hurt. Most of the damage had healed while she was in the coma, but the soreness would remain for some time. She still had bandages around the arms and legs, a patch on her forehead, and also around the waist. Physical therapy had gotten her onto her feet, and she was allowed her own clothes instead of a hospital gown, but...it was still like she'd had a sprain in several places. It hurt, and she got headaches, and it was really making her impatient to get out. It should be any day now, but she wanted to leave sooner than later.

Of course, she could understand the delay for today. A war had broken out.

This did nothing for the emotional wreck that was her mind, of course, because she - a now-capable Scion - was sitting in a hospital when there was a calamity outside. There were fires and explosions, and Ikko Monks as well, if the emergency announcement was to be believed. Well, a look out the window certainly confirmed that there were soldiers guarding the hospital. Now, Makoto herself wasn't in a big hospital. In the aftermath of the earthquake, there was alot of overflow, and a girl in a coma needed only be stabilized and sustained. Any hospital can do that. The going-to-die-soon people took priority. From the window, though, she could see Edo burning, and it burned her to see it all happening.

Damn it all, I should be out there, doing something! I have the training and the power I need! I'm only waiting for release!

She looked down and saw the guards really struggling with the monks. Twice now, she'd seen them have to pull back from the perimeter to the hospital proper to keep the interlopers from breaking in. They were good, but at this rate... Her anger suddenly peaked and she turned away from the window, stepping over to her weapon. Bunkatsu Kami Yari... A Bishamon-style spear previously enjoyed by Maeda Toshiie. Grabbing it, Makoto exited her room on the third floor and got moving. She couldn't run without making her muscles scream, and every serious movement was going to ache, but what the hell? People were dying out there. On her way to the ground floor, one of the staff who'd been looking after her started to raise some very loud objections, and she had almost no tolerance for it right now.

"I'm not just sitting around anymore! I can't go home, so I'm fighting here!"

Good god, the look she gave that nurse made her regret leaving that Yari with her. Makoto made it outside and immediately noticed something, as she herself was immediately noticed by the soldiers at the main door. She could see a couple of others in view, taking out an Ikko Monk, but they were spread thin...and she could see no obvious Scions.

"Stay in the hospital! It isn't safe out here!"

"Where are the Scions? Why don't you have enough soldiers?"

"The entire city is swarming with Ikko Monks and traitors working alongside. We've had to ration our numbers, operate at the minimum in places, or less. No Scions were available for this location."

"There is now."

He looked her over.

"I'm pretty sure I can stop you, but I don't have time. I take it you were watching from inside?"

"Yes."

"Fine. You will hold this entrance, and only this entrance. An injured Scion is only half as useful, but at least we can fill in some gaps."

Well...he'd be kind of wrong about that. Her injuries were going to be an issue, but they were also going to be a boon... She was just starting out here, but she had power, something they didn't have. So, they moved out and Makoto stood her ground, some feet in front of the entrance. The soldiers were going to take the most, and she was their back-up in this area of the hospital. Now, there hadn't been a coordinated assault on this hospital yet. Mostly attackers at varying times, but once enough of them spotted this new setup, they were made to believe the other points of entry were going to be stronger, and this one weaker. So saying, an Ikko Monk assault group made for the front gates, some of them clashing with the guards and some of them running right past!

"For Ikko!!"

So, they had a lone target that looked like they'd recruited her because they were hurting for numbers - which was technically true - but the monks thought it was just someone they found who could use a spear, maybe not even well. That would be...wrong. Makoto slashed horizontally in a wide arc to make them re-think their charge and caught one who was unable to stop fast enough. He cried out, blood pouring from the wound, grasping it in pain because...it seemed like a shallower cut at first, but it'd gotten worse all of a sudden! She knew why. They could feel her pain. She was a recovering patient, and her weapon delivered more pain and physical damage when she was injured.

But why stop there?

While he was grasping it, she kicked him in the same spot before sweeping low at one of the others that'd been getting too close. Now, they were armed with all kinds of things, but none of them had long-reaching weapons, like hers. Swords, knives, tekko-kagi - on-the-go stuff, not heavy equipment. True, though, her weapon was heavy and that meant she had to dodge and attack, or bring up the blunt end of her weapon to defend, but she'd been trained for this. Well, sort of... She'd been trained in pole-arms and other weapons, of course, but her preferred training had been with a pair of tonfas. Why? Well, that one came out as she was dealing with the third monk while the first one (trying to staunch bleeding) and the second one (staggered from leg wounds) were otherwise occupied. Two more had come through as the soldiers were hit with another assault group, though not as successful as the last one.

"Hey, help me out here!"

"For this? No problem."

He got around with his friend to her back, while his friend clashed with her, using his sword. As soon as he moved, though, a...pole-arm?...came and embedded itself into his hip before he was in proper sword range. He had...no idea...how that even... Why are there two of them...? Two weapons. Half...? Was it half that just...? He collapsed, and the others were taking stock here. There was this brown-haired teen with a look of murder on her face, and each hand was holding a lighter weapon that was two halves of the same whole. And then, the two blades lit up on fire!

Ah hell... That was a Scion! The now-staunched monk threw himself right at her, shouting, in order to take her attack for the others. Since he actually impaled himself on one spear and the others backed away, she quickly used the other to shove him off before they could gang up on her and the fire attack expired. Staggered boy was no longer staggered as he clashed with her weapons, but unfortunately for him...she had the leverage now. Try to imagine you're fighting someone with a giant pair of pliers, at this point. Makoto had more to work with than just that, but it also means that when he was kicked down below and she spun him, he had little to bring to the party as she threw him into a roll just in time to parry one of the others and stab the last one in the gut, before pulling away suddenly.

Might have to use the bigger one here. Could be more any time now.

So, she went back to the alcove entrance...and looked like her legs were about to give out. They hurt, but she was exaggerating. She also put her Yari back together and assumed a defensive posture. The two that were still standing looked at this, then at each other, and decided to pick up the one who'd just taken a stab. He protested, but they up and threw 'im right into Makoto's spear before moving to attack! That...was pretty clever, but it would not work. She pulled out and there was suddenly a blazing fire coming off of the weapon as she spun and slashed at them both explosively! It was 'the bigger one', a blast-strike indicated by the meter-long flame that shot off of the blade during the attack. Now, the Monks here were pretty much dead, but now the soldiers were shouting something, pointing at her? No, behind her. She turned and...

"Oh shit! fire!"

The alcove was on fire! Fire extinguisher! Where the hell was the extinguisher?!